Chapter 49 – Remnant Soul Duel

The chamber sealed behind Ankit with the finality of a tomb. There was no sound. No echoes. No time.

Just heat.

Across from him, the being of flame and shadow raised its weapon—not a sword or glaive, but a twisting manifestation of every soul that had died here. Its form was unstable, yet unshakably still, like a memory that refused to fade.

It had no eyes, but Ankit felt its gaze.

Then, it spoke—not in words, but in layered voices. Thousands. All echoing into one.

"Bearer of Flame. Heir of Steel. Breaker of Echoes. Will you hold our burden?"

Ankit's Talwars responded before his voice did—lighting with the ghostly blue fire of the emperor's soul fragment that had merged with him.

He took his stance.

"I'll carry what I must. But I won't be your next shadow."

The being didn't reply.

It attacked.

The duel began in silence, but the room exploded with motion. The entity moved like smoke and ash—twisting, reshaping, breaking apart and reassembling mid-strike.

Ankit parried the first blow, only to be knocked back as his own emotions turned against him. Rage surged. Not his own, but the tower's. The emperor's regrets. The cries of soldiers long gone.

His vision blurred. Guilt. Pain. The faces of the fallen. The helpless.

He staggered.

"You are not enough." The voices thundered.

His knees trembled.

Then Toni's voice flickered in his head—"You're not alone."

He grit his teeth and slashed diagonally, burning through the emotional projection. A path cleared. The entity faltered.

Ankit pressed forward.

The chamber shifted with every clash—showing him scenes:

– The Emperor killing his own general to prevent civil war.

– A child burning in a rebellion sparked by a false prophecy.

– The Empress weeping on the throne.

– The moment he chose silence… over action.

Every vision hit Ankit harder than any blade.

But he didn't stop.

He yelled and struck downward, twin blades carving a crescent of soulfire. The entity split into five and attacked from all angles.

One cut across his thigh.

Another slashed into his ribs.

Blood dripped. Heat soared. The Talwars flickered—one cracked.

"Fall," the voices demanded. "Break."

But Ankit didn't fall.

He remembered Riya's frost-covered hands gripping her weapon in a blizzard.

Toni's laughter, strained but real.

Asha's illusion hiding a child from death.

Raunak's rune lighting up the dark.

Sana's trembling hands healing the dying.

Raghav's firm stance in the first raid.

Kaido's easy jokes masking trauma.

And the night they all swore they'd climb together.

He screamed, fire exploding around him in a perfect circle.

His right Talwar shattered.

But in its place—Vijra awakened fully.

It extended itself, forming a wide flame-edged blade from the remnants of both swords—a hybrid of grief and strength.

He dashed forward and swung it through the central core of the echo entity.

A flare of blinding light filled the room. The voices screamed.

Then—

Silence.

He stood in the middle of the fading echo, panting, bleeding, trembling—but alive.

The chamber released its lock.

Toni and Riya were the first in. Toni caught him before he fell.

"You mad bastard," he muttered. "You did it."

Ankit coughed, eyes dim with exhaustion. "Not alone."

System messages filled the air.

[Optional Trial Completed – Remnant Soul Duel]

Reward: Title – Burdenbearer of the Fifth Flame

Artifact Obtained – Memory Core of the Fallen Empire (Bound)

Soul Weapon Evolution – Vijra: Crownless Form Unlocked

Trait Gained – Echo Authority (Minor Influence Over Tower Memory Constructs)

Floor 5 Completion: 100%

Return Portal Unlocked

The Vault rumbled, beginning to collapse. Everyone scrambled to the exit. As they emerged from the depths, the twisted ruins of Sol'Thar were already shifting.

The sky lightened.

The cracked moon dimmed.

A breeze passed for the first time.

The city was letting go.

Raunak wiped a tear he hadn't noticed forming. "Guess he really did rest."

Toni helped Ankit to his feet again. "You good?"

Ankit looked toward the sky.

"No," he said. "But I'm better."

One hour later, the return gate opened.

They stood before it, each of them changed.

Asha reached for Ankit's shoulder. "One month before Floor 6."

Kaido grinned. "I say we spend it breaking in the newbies."

Sana nodded. "And fixing the people we became."

Ankit didn't say much.

He just stepped through the gate.

And the world shimmered once more.